Electric pump-operated fuel-feeding device



June 26, W23. mswau 'W. VAN (BUILDER ELECTRIC PUMP OPERATED FUEL FEEDING 1912 1102:

Filed April 8. 1922 fa 7 WW M @zalde n "Petented qlines Ltd,

r r e WALTER VAN GUILDER, OF CHICAGO, ILLENOES, Af-lSIGNQR CEO STEtVAHWWEtENER EEPIEEDDMETER CDRYPOBACEIOH, F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CIlZEPGltATIOH fill VJEBGIKNML ELECTRIC PUFJFP-0PEEATIED FUEL-EEEDING DEVICE.

Application liked April 8, 1922. Serial 1%. 550,600.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER VAN Guru DER, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Pump Operated Fuel Feeding Devices, of which the following is a, specification, reference being had to the accompanying draw 19 ings, forming a part thereof. v

The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved means for lifting liquid fuel from a low level source to an elevated receptacle from which it may flow by gravity to the carbureter of an internal combustion engine, the lifting means being an elecv trical'ly operated pump, the energizing circuit of whose motor is open to interrupted pumping when the supply in the elevated receptacle reachesany desired maximum. It consists principally in the elements and tea tures of construction for preventing the danger of ignition of vapor which may arise from the fuel by the electric spark at the making and breaking of the energizing circuit, and secondarily, the feature of construction for adapting the same device to be operated alternatively or sim'ultane ously by the electric pump or by a vacuum producing suction connection to the recept'acle, all. "as indicated in the claims.

In the drawings Figure 1.is a. diagrammatic view showing an assemblage of elements embodying this invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical axial section of the elevated receptacle. i

Figure 3 is a detail section axial with respect to the airinlet pas ge in which the gap of thepump energizing circuit is located.

Figure 4: is a detail section at the line tt-A, on Figure 3. in the construction shown in the draw,- ings, A is an electric pump; B is the elevated receptacle; C is a'conduit which leads from the low level reservoinnot shown, to the pumpintake; D is the conduit leading from discharge of the pump to the recepta ole, B, wherein its discharge is seen at a). The receptacle, B, is shown in the form of a familiar type of vacuum tank, socall d,,

partitioned by a partition, 3*, for, creati g a chamber, 25*, into which liqu d fuel is pumped by the pump, A, and frond which it flows by gravity past the valve, b into the outer and lower chamber, 6 from which it is supplied. by gravity through the pipe, 6, to the carburetor, not shown. For the primary purpose of this invention, the partition, 13, is not needed, as only one chamber is required; but the construction as comprising two chambers, with the valve, 5

between them is taken over bodily from a familiar vacuum fuel feed tank construction, in order that the device of this invention may be operated either, alternatively by suction or by the electric pump, or, siniultaneously by both suction and the pump, as will hereinafter more fully appear.

The float, E, in the chamber, 5 operates in a well understood manner, the valves, F and G, controlling respectively the inlet ports, 7'' and g, for opening said ports alternately', one at the low liquid level and the other at the high liquid level of thdchamher, 12 The parts are shown in Figure l at the high liquid level, the valve, Gr,'being open and the valve, F, closed. The port, may be connected with a source of suction, not shown, as indicated by the pipe fitting, F shown in dotted lines. The port, g, terminates in an air inlet passage which is forms in part in a fitting, M, of insulating material as fiber havin an axial bore m leading from its lower end and terminating short of the upper end, anda transverse passage, indicated by the spot res, m, m? which intersects the axial passage, CGDSD:

tuting lateral branches thereof, a gauze wire sleeve, N, encompasses the fitting and spans the ports, m m serving as-a {gas and dust screen. An electrode screw, is screwed to the top of the fitting M and projects into its-axial bore to the intersection with thefitting, M, and is messed on ,and insulated. from the stem pd, pi the valve, G,.wh 1 ch' till ' mg movement of the valve, G.

stein extends above the valve for the purpose of carrying said electrode. The upper end of the electrode is forked, as seen at 9,

to span without contact therewith, the reduced neck, k, of the electrode screw K, which is thus reduced in diameter below its threaded pgrt the head, with which the fork, j, makes contact when the'electrode, J, is at its lower position to which it is carried b the seatn the diagrammatic view, X represents a source of current for energizing the pump motor.

The operation of the structure above described will be understood to be that when the chamber 1), is empty of l quid, the float, E, being at its lower position, holds the valve, G, closed, that the familiar snap action operates to prevent change of the position of the valve until the float is submerged far enough to overcome by its buoyancy the tension of the spring and shift it ast the fulcrum of the valve operating ever. At said lower closed position of the valve, G, as will be seen by consideration of Figure 3, the pump-motor-energizing circult is closed by contact of the forked end. I of the electrode, 6, with the end, K, of the electrode, K, causin the pump to function for pumping the Equid from the low reservoir into the chamber, 12 When the liquid rises in the receptacle, b, it will cause the floatto reverse the position of the valves, the valve, G, being opened and the pump motor energizing circuit being broken, causing the amp to cease action until the withdrawal of 181 to supply the carbureter causes the lowering of the float, .E, and the reversal of the valves back to their former positions. It will be observed that in the first position,- -that is, with the valve, G, closed and the ump operating,--the port, f, is open for t e free escape of the air, as is necessar to ermit the chamber, 1), to fill with liqui an that the valve, G, being closed prevents any of this air which may be charged with iiquid'vapo'r from passing out throu h the air inlet passagillieading to the valve, and in which the circuit gap is located. Upon the reversal {if-the valves, the valve, G, being opened; the valve, F, being closed, all the air that enters to permit the delivery at the fuel by gravity comes in through the air inlet passage leading to the valve, G, and this clean air from the'outside flushes this passage and'insures that it shall be free from any explosive gas at the circuit gap, where a spark is liable to be caused by the breaking of the circuit.

'1 As above noted, the device may be connected with a source of suction at the port, I,

and the suction may operate to assist the pump, or the pump may be operated to assist=the suction, in filling the chamber, bl;-

and neither of these filling means will interto form this neck and carry.

fere with the operation of the other. When r thus connected with a source of suction. it will be understood that it is necessary to provide the second chamber, b with the check valve, 6, closed by the suction to permit the device to deliver the fuel to-the carburetor nary operation of the familiar vacuum fuel feed device. It will be seen. therefore. that the construction described for em loying an electrically-operated um to ii the liquid can be applied to the ami iar type of 'vacuiun fuel feed devices without interfering at all with the operation of said devices under suction in the usual manner, and that when thus applied, the electrically-operated pum need be broughtinto service only when the suction available is insufficient for maintaining adequate supply. It will also. be understood that without the partition, B and without any suction connection, the electric pump is desi ned to be operated in the manner describe as the sole means of maintaining the supply.

I claim 1. In a combination for the purpose of supplying fuel by gravity to the carbureter of an internal combiisuon engine from a fuel source at a lower level, an electrically operated pump having its intake connectedv with said fuel source; a fuel receptacle at a higher lever with which thev discharge of the pump is connected,v said receptacle having above the liquid-containingspace thereof two inlet ports, and Bus for opening them alternately, one at a'hi'gh level and the other at a low level of liquid in the receptacle; an air inlet passage leading to the port which is opened at high level; a circuit in which the pump motor is energized extending in part in said passage, and havin a gap there- 1n, and means .for opening an closin said gap which is moved for opening sai' ga'o y'the movement for opening said last mentioned port.

2. In the constnuction defined in claim 1,

foregoing, the air inlet passage in which the circuit gap is located, having its air entrance screened by flame stop'ping gauze.

3. In the construction defined in claim 1,-

comprising a'fitting whose body is composed of nsulating material, having an. axial pasthe gap in the electric circuit is located,

freely by gravity at all times, as in the ordisage and a transverse passage intersecting the two electrodes being in the path of air the axial passage, an electrode screwed into entering through tho transverse passage. the said fitting axially with respect to said In testimony whereof, I have hereunto axial passage, a second electrode insulatingget my hand at Chicago, Illinois, this 4th 55 ly mounted upon the air inlet valve for "clay of April,1922.

movement into and out of contact with the other electrode, the position of contact of G R. 

